THE CAPTAIN OF THE CUTTY SARK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18452, 1 May 1928, Page 9

THE CAPTAIN OF THE CUTTY SARK.

DIES AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY-TWO.

(Special to the ‘'Star.'') LONDON, March 7. Mr Richard Woodget. the captain of the famous clipper ship Cutty Sark, died yesterday at Burnham Overy, Norfolk, at the age of eighty-two. The son of a farmer of Burnham Norton, Norfolk, he was born on November 21, 1845, and before he was sixteen went to sea as an apprentice. It was a hard training, for the skippers and mates of the sixties had no mercy, but Woodget’s spirit could not be tamed, and he was always learning, lie finished his time in the brig British Ensign, trading to Port Natal, and in 1868 obtained his mate’s certificate at South Shields. At last, in 1881, he was given command bv Jock Willis, known as “Old White Hat,” of an old ship, the Coldstream. He brought her home in 1885 after making passages which astonished her owner. Willis thereupon gave Woodget the command of« the Cutty Sark. The story of this beautiful vessel has been admirably told by Mr Basil Lubbock, the chief historian of the old sailing ships, in “ The Log of the Cutty Sark.” She was built in 1869, one of a dozen clippers laid down for the China tea trade. Willis was deter mined to beat the American crack ship of her time, and he certainly succeeded, for no other sailing ship beat her records.

By the time Woodget had her she was’ in the Australian wool trade, in which she made ten voyage?!, accomplishing some astonishing runs, details of which are given in Mr Lubbock s book. He quotes Captain Woodget as saying that the best day she ever did

under his command was 353 knots, and the best eleven days was 3457 miles. Her curious name was given her by Willis from the short chemise of Burns’s witch, Nannie, who formed her figure-head, beautifully carved by Hel 1 - yer, of Blackwall. Under Woodget's fearless hand, the Cutty Sark took all the hard driving he gave her, and it is recorded that in all his ten years of command he never hove her to. Mr Lubbock, in his book, says that Captain Woodget got the last ounce out o r his officers and men because he would never ask a man to do what he would not do himself, and his apprentices adored him. Though a non-drinker and non-smoker, he was not in the least a prig. He had an inquiring mind, which delighted by turns in conundrums, dogbreeding. photography and the theory of exchange. He kept prize-bred collies on board, which won many prizes at Australian shows. In 1895, on returning in eightv-four days from Brisbane to the Start, Captain Woodget learned to his great disgust that Willis intended to sell the Cutty Sark to a Portuguese owner. He was given com mand of the Coldinghame, also in the Australian trade, but this was his last ship. He retired from the sea and bought a farm on the Norfolk coast, where he delighted in his pigs, chickens, turkeys, geese and other live stock. 11still kept a boat for sailing and fishing, and sometimes wog a race at the looa l regattas. It was a great day for the old skipper when, in August, 1924, he was the chief guest at dinner of the Seven Seas Club. By that time Captain W. H. Dowman had bought the Cut tv Sark back again to be a lasting memorial of the days when such ships were commanded by men like l aptain Woodget. She was berthed at Falmouth, and once again Captain Woodget took command of her and took her on a visit to Fowey to be flagship at a regatta. . Captain Woodget was twice married, and had three sons, who all went to sea and commanded fine steamers in the East.